Charleston…….finally!

After a long and much anticipated wait, we finally made it back to Charlotte to pick up the bike and ride.  Of course we had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch a flight…which I hate…but we made it to Charlotte, got the bike loaded up, had a quick lunch with our daughter and her boyfriend then hit the road to Charleston, SC.  Whoo hoo…what a feeling!  I have missed it so much.
The ride to Charleston was pretty uneventful, but as we got closer and closer I began to notice a lot of big trees along the road that had been knocked down by the recent Hurricane Matthew.  It was a gentle reminder of the destruction that had taken place. It was a little bit sobering.
We arrived in the historic district of Charleston and made our way to the hotel.  We are staying at the Vendue hotel.  It’s kinda fancy…and really cool.

 

We got checked in, Kirk parked the motorcycle and we followed the bellman to our room.
The Vendue is a unique hotel.  It is 2 historic buildings across from each other one is a large building with lots of rooms, a restaurant and a rooftop bar.  The building across the street is smaller…with no elevator.  We are staying in the smaller one….I felt so bad for the bellman having to carry our heavy bag up the stairs to the second floor, but very glad we didn’t have to do it.
The Vendue is an art hotel.  It is like being in an art gallery.  They even have a local artist that has a studio art up in the one building. They promote the local art culture very well. There are many really cool pieces of artwork to look at all over, plus beautiful chandeliers and old woodwork. It is oozing with southern hospitality and charm.

Our room was tiny, but I knew it would be.  I made the reservation late and actually got a lower rate for the room because it is one of the very tiny rooms.  I still loved it.  It was fine for us, plus the bathroom has a whirlpool tub.

We had made dinner reservations at a restaurant called 82 Queen.  It was recommended to us by our daughter who lived in Charleston for about a year. (It apparently is one of the best restaurants around.)  It was a very charming place,  I know, I seem to be over using that word but there really isn’t any other way to describe it.  This whole city is just full of charm and character. It is mostly outside….like a big, giant patio, and gorgeous. The food was amazing, the service was impeccable.  The walk to and from the restaurant was enjoyable.

 

After dinner we came back to the Vendue and headed up to the rooftop bar for a few drinks before bed.

It was pretty interesting.  I would like to see it in the daylight so I can see the view.  We had a good time.  Then we hit the bed…a very comfortable bed I might add and slept well.